Brush holder



Feb. il, 1969 J. DGETLUCK 3,426,989

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"l .IV" ij l' i [l |Il Wi ze UNM Nfl 'JU ii! 'nl "n y l J2 J. Dem-LUCK Feb H, E969 BRUSH HOLDER Sheet 2 of 2 Filed Feb. 13, 1967 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,426,989 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 3,426,989 BRUSH HOLDER John Dgetluck, Chicopee Fails, Mass., assignor to Pioneer Packaging, Inc., Chicopee, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Feb. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 615,732

U.S. Cl. 248-110 Int. Cl. A46b 17/09 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A brush holder comprising a flat cardboard panel to which there is attached a transparent molded plastic shell open at each end and transversely shaped to receive and hold a paint brush with the bristles confined within the shell and the handle exposed for shipping and/or display purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY As herein illustrated, the holder comprises a panel board, a tubular shell secured to the panel board, said shell being open at its opposite ends and comprising a substantially flat wall portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the panel board, and transversely spaced curved wall portions joining the fiat wall portion to the panel board, said flat wall portion being spaced from the panel board a distance corresponding to the thickness of the brush to be placed therein, and said curved wall portions having a curvature corresponding substantially to the contour of the sides of the brush, and means adjacent one end projecting inwardly from each of the curved Wall portions, said means constituting shoulders at said end for engagement with the butt end of a brush placed in the holder with the handle of the brush projecting through said end and with the bristles located within the shell. The curved wall portions deviate intermediate the open ends of the shell from a spacing between said walls of a predetermined distance to a spacing between said walls of lesser distances, said lesser spacing corresponding substantially to the transverse width of the brush back. A brace is connected to each end of each curved wall portion which extends laterally therefrom and is secured to the panel board. A flange is connected to the lower edge of each curved wall portions which extends laterally outwardly therefrom parallel to and in contact with the panel board, and the brace, which is of triangular configuration, is connected along one of its right edges to the end of the curved wall portion and along the other of its right edges to the flange. A flange is also connected to each of the diagonal edges of the braces which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the brace. There are longitudinally spaced, parallel, transversely extending reinforcing ribs formed within portions of the flat wall portion displaced outwardly therefrom, and one of these is located in a position which parallels the upper edge of the brush ferrule when the brush is disposed in the shell and is displaceable inwardly by pressure applied to the outer side into engagement with the edge of the ferrule to constrain movement of the brush from the holder.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the holder showing a portion of the handle of the brush extending from the lower end;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the brush holder as seen from the left-hand side of FIG. 21;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the holder taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing portions in section and portions in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a transverse' section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6--6 of F-IG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a mold and plastic sheet conformed thereto, the mold embodying a repeat pattern of the blank to be formed;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 1l is a perspective of a shell blank as it is cut from the formed sheet following the molding operation.

Referring to the drawings, the holder comprises a substantially rectangular panel board 10 comprised, for example, of stiff cardboard finished on one or both sides with a suitable covering such as to receive advertising and/or instructions for preservation of the brush which is to be packaged. A hole 12 may be provided at one end of the panel board so that ia may be suspended from a nail or hook for the purpose of display.

A shell 14 comprised of a transparent formed plastic of suitable kind is applied to one side of the panel board and comprises a substantially fiat wall portion 16 spaced from and parallel to the panel board 10 and transversely spaced curved wall portions 18 corresponding in curvature substantially to the curvature of the edges of the brush which is to be placed in the holder. The fiat and curved walls collectively form with the panel board an open ended receptacle for receiving a brush, as shown in FIG. 3, with the back, ferrule and bristles enclosed within the shell and the handle extending from one end.

The curved wall portions 18 deviate intermediate their opposite ends so as to divide the receptacle longitudinally into two sections 20 and 22, the distance between the curved wall portions of the section 22 being less than that between the curved wall portions of the second 20, and corresponding substantially to the width of the brush back to hug it closely. At the lower end of the shell there are shoulders 24 which project inwardly from the curved wall portions and which provide horizontal ledges 26 for engagement with the butt end of the brush back and support the brush as shown in FIG. 3. The shoulders are molded into the curved wa'll portions as will subsequently appear.

The curved wall portions 18 as mentioned above correspond in vcurvature to the sides of the brush and are consequently undercut and to support these Walls in the configuration desired there are braces 28 at the opposite ends of each curved wall portion. The braces 28 comprise substantially triangular members extending laterally outwardly from the curved wall portions perpendicular to the panel board. The inner right sides of the triangular braces are connected to the curved wall portions, the lower right sides are connected to the panel board and there are flanges 30 connected to the diagonal or hypotenuse sides of the braces which are perpendicular to the planes of the braces. The lower edges of the curved wall portions are attached to the panel board by laterally extending anges 32 which extend lengthwise of the lower edges. The lower right edges of the triangular braces are connected to the ends of the anges 32. The anges 32 are heat-sealed or otherwise attached to the panel board.

Reinforcing ribs 34 are provided in the flat wall portion 16, there being three such ribs extending transversely thereof in spaced parallel relation, with one of the ribs, the center one, as shown in FIG. l, being located substantially where the inner end of the ferrule of the brush is located. The ribs 34 are formed by displacing the material of the at end wall portion outwardly and this outward displacement provides spaced parallel shoulders 36 at the inner side of the flat Wall portion. When pressure is exerted on the ilat wall portion 16 by stacking brushes in shipment the at wall portion is pressed inwardly sufficiently so that the shoulders engage the edge of the ferrule or ribbed portions of the ferrule and hence constrain endwise movement of the brush.

The holder is made as will now be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to ll, inclusive.

The shells are made in suitable size for brushes of different size in quantity of transparent sheet plastic by draping the heat-settable sheet plastic p over a suitably shaped heated mold m which renders the sheet sufficiently accid to enable confor-ming it intimately to the surface of the mold by applying a vacuum. The mold has a repeat pattern as illustrated in FIG. 8, so that a large number of shells can be made at the same time, and is provided with appropriate passages (FIGS. 9 and 10) to enable applying a vacuum which will conform the accid sheet material to the surface of the mold. In order to draw the molded sheet following the forming operation without having multipart molds, the shell blanks are made inside out as shown in FIG. 11, so that there are no undercuts. The molded sheet is removed from the mold following setting and is cut into individual shell blanks with a conventional die cutting machine along the lines X-X, Y--Y whereupon each shell blank is inverted, placed on a card and heat-sealed thereto.

Any heat or solvent softenable colorless or colored plastic which may be conformed to a mold may be ernployed and instead of vacuum molding cooperable male and female mold parts may be employed.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brush holder comprising a flat imperforate panel board, a tubular shell secured to the panel board, said shell comprising a top wall portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the panel board and transversely spaced side wall portions joining the top wall portion to the panel board, said panel board and shell collectively forming a receptacle open at its ends, and means adjacent one end of the shell projecting inwardly from each of the side wall portions, said means constituting shoulders at said end for engagement of the shoulders at the butt end of a brush placed in the holder with the bristles and brush back located in the shell and with the handle of the brush projecting through said opening, said top wall portion being spaced from the panel board a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of the brush and said side wall portions deviating intermediate their opposite ends from a transverse spacing between said side wall portions of a predetermined distance to a transverse spacing between said side wall portions of a lesser distance to provide longitudinally disposed pockets of different transverse width for receiving the bristles and the back of the brush respectively, and said pocket of lesser transverse width corresponding substantially in width to the transverse width of the brush back and being located adjacent the open end of the shell embodying said inwardly projecting shoulders.

2. A brush holder according to claim 1, comprising a brace connected to each end of each side wall portion, said braces extending laterally from said side wall portions and being secured to the panel board.

3. A brush holder according to claim 1, comprising a flange connected to the lower edge of each side wall portion, said flange extending laterally outward therefrom parallel to and in contact with the panel board, and a triangular brace at each end of each side wall portion, each triangular brace being connected at one of its right edges to an end of the side wall portion and at another of its right edges to a ange, said diagonal edge extending from the upper edge of the side wall portion to the outer edge of the ange, and said triangular braces being perpendicular to the panel board.

4. A brush holder according to claim 3, comprising a ange integral with the diagonal edge of each brace and substantially perpendicular to the plane of the brace.

5. A brush holder according to claim '1, comprising longitudinally spaced, transversely extending reinforcing ribs formed of portions of the top wall displaced outwardly therefrom.

`6. A brush holder according to claim 5, wherein one of said ribs is situated at the junction of the wider portion of the receptacle with the narrow portion parallel to the shoulder at the junction of the bristles with the brush back, and provides inwardly facing, longitudinally spaced shoulders which, by engagement with the edge of the ferrule when pressure is applied to the top wall portion are operable to constrain longitudinal movement of the brush from the holder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 835,725 11/1906 Bollman 248-ll1 2,820,685 1/ 1958 Bergholt 248-111 X 3,004,661 lO/1961 Schumann 206-l5.1 X 3,148,767 9/ 1964 Dgetluck 248-111 X CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 206-15.1 

